Valve and strainer unit



March 15, 1949. M. HOVANIAN 2,464,579

VALVE AND STRAINER UNIT Filed March 25, 1947 INVENTOR. MARD/G' HOVAN/AN ATTORN EY.

Patented Mar. 15, 1949 UNITED STATES QFFICE Claims. 5

This invention relates to drain devices for insertion in outlets of basins, sinks and the like, and more particularly to a combination valve and strainer adapted to be removably associated with a drain outlet.

It is primarily within the contemplation of this invention to provide a valve and strainer construction which will be conveniently adaptable for use in the basins of beauty parlors and barber shops where it is necessary not only to readily control the fiow of water into the outlet, but also quickly and easily to remove the entire unit for cleanin and repair purposes.

It is also an important object of my invention to enable the unit to be readily and firmly attached to the outlet fixture, whereby it will remain in place and securely held against the dislodgment.

It is a further object of my invention to enable the unit to be readily disconnected from the outlet fixture by a simple manipulation. And in this aspect of my invention it is another object to effect such disconnection without the employment of any special outwardly disposed disconnecting members which might interfere with the operator or cause injury to the operator or customer. In a preferred construction of my invention, this object is accomplished by providing the valve member with means for detachably holding the unit in place.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for enabling the unit to be readily assembled, as well as disassembled for cleaning purposes or repair.

And it is within the further contemplation of my invention to enable the above-mentioned objectives to be attained by a simple, readily fabricated and inexpensive device.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention shown operatively connected to an outlet fixture which is shown in section, a fragment of the device being broken away for clarity, the invention being illustrated in open or draining condition;

Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1 taken along line 2-2, the locking member being shown in full lines in its normal locking position, and in dot-dash lines in a retracted and lowered position;

Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2 taken along line 3-3;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan of Figure 1 taken substantially along line 44;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing a different relative positioning of the two coacting shells whereby the outlet apertures are blocked and the device is in its closed condition;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary section of Figure 4 taken substantially along the line i-6 thereof;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the resilient locking member employed in my invention, a portion of the upper bridge portion being broken away for clarity.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of a portion of the device of Figure 1, showing the pressed-out T formation on the outer shell to provide limiting movements therefor, as well as a bayonet joint for disassembling the two shells; and

Figure 9 is a sectional plan of Figure 8 taken substantially along line 99 thereof.

In the preferred form of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the construction includes two coacting shells Ill and l I, the former containing an inner preferably cylindrical wall wall [4 slidably and rotatively mounted over the said wall l2. lower outward y extending flan ed base l5 upon which the lower edge It of shell I! rests when it is in its lowermost operative position, as will more clearly her inafter appear.

Outer shell ll contains an upper portion I! consisting, in its preferred form, of a lateral cylindrical portion :8 of reduced diameter and a top closure wall iii. In the specific form illustrated, the up er wall [9 contains a central raised portion 2!! to accommodate a screw-head, as will hereinafter appear. Furthermore, the lateral wall 18 of upper portion I! is knurled or otherwise serra ed at circumferential region 2| so as to provide a conveniently rough gripping surface for manual rotarymanipulation. proportion of shells l0 and H is suchthat when t e outer shell I! is in its lowermost position as illustrated in Figure 2, the upper closure wall IQ of said shell is in predetermined spaced relation to the upper wall it of the inner shell I0, providing a space or compartment 22 therebetween to accommodate certain yieldable securing means for a locking member, which will now be described.

The said upper wall l'3 contains a central aperture 23, the preferred construction illustrated l2 bridged at the top by an upper wall It, and the latter containing an outer preferably cylindrical The said inner shell Ill contains a The comprising a cylindrical wall 24 pressed upwardly from wall it and surrounding said aperture 23. The said wall l3 also contains two diametrically opposed openings 25 through which extend the two dependin legs 2% of the resilient locking member 21, clearly illustrated in perspective in Figure '7. This inverted U-shaped member contains a horizontal top or cross-piece 28, the center of which is punched inwardly to provide an aperture 29. surrounded by cylindrical wall 30. The legs 25 each have at their lower extremities the outwardly disposed locking flanges 3|, the said legs 26 being normally disposed in a predetermined outwardly profit-feted position, as will more clearly hereinafter appear.

In the assembled position of said resilient lock ing member 21 particularly as illustrated in Fig ure 2, the cross-piece 28 thereof is disposed in proximity to upper wall it of the outer shell il and in parallel spaced relation to the upper wall 13 of the inner shell. l ll. A stud 32- extends vertically downwardly from the: hole 29 through. the. lower hole 23, the head 33 and washer thereunder res-ting; upon. the: cross-piece 28', and the shank of the stud extending; to a predetermined point below wall [3,. the nut 34, mounted over said shank, being inengagement with the underside of wall l3- Mounted over the shank, and. preien ably over the said cylindrical walls 2% and 33 is the: helical spring 35'. This spring normally is under-compressionwhen in operative use; so that it tends; to separate walls It and 28, thereby pro viding for a firm securernent of the parts, and for' a tight. waterproof seal? upon the basin seat, as will. hereinafter-be described.

In the form of my invention illustrated, the cylindrical. walls l2 and M; of. the two coacting shells? are-each provided with correspondingly disposed and proportioned outlet apertures 35 and 31. These apertures are arranged alternately in spaced vertical rows of three: and two, so that in the: open: position illustrated in: Figures 1, 2, 3 and; 4,. all: holes coincide, so as to permit water to pass'thereth-ro-ugh. When the outer shell H is rotatablly' manipulated to its closed position, the rows: or apertures will be. moved out of coincidence; so.- that each of the outlet apertures of the outer shell: will be covered by a solid portion of the inner wall l2.

The lower portion of the outer wall. is pressed out: to form a T formation 38 consisting of a horizontal portion 3:9 anda vertical portion 48. The lower portion of the. innerwall i2 is also pressed out to; provide a bump or protrusion M which extends into the recessed portion of the T and is adapted to slidably movealong the inner wall; thereof; In the position shown in Figure 9 bump at is disposed: against the. extreme right side of; horizontal portion 39'; and by rotatabl'i. manipulating: the outershell H1 in a clockwise directiorr, the said bump will be brought in engage ment with: the extreme left end of the said hori zontal portion. 39. In this manner, two extreme operative: positionsthe. open andthe closed position-are set, so. that an operator can readily selectively turn outer shell i from one to the other; of these positions. In the open position, as illustrated: in Figure 4,. the outlet apertures 35 and 3d coincide, and inv the closed position, the outer apertures 31 are obstructed, as shown in Figure: 5. The vertical portion 41! oi the T is provided so; as to; enable the shell H to be removed. When this is required, the outer shell 1 I is rota-ted until the bump M is directly above vertical portion 413-, whereupon the. shell. H can be h vertically moved upwardly, said portion Ml con- Stituting a passageway for bump it, substantially like a bayonet construction.

The flange lb of inner shell Ill contains, along the upper periphery thereof, a marking 42 indicating the open position, and another marking indicating the closed position. The outer shell M has pressed out from the lower periphery thereof an indicator or pointer Ml, so positioned that when this indicator is disposed at line $2, the outlet aperture would be in coincidence, as shown in Figure l, and when disposed at the closed line 53, the apertures will be out of coincidence and the device in its closed condition.

The valve and strainer unit above described is adapted for attachment to a conventional drain outlet in a basin or sink, such as is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The basin 45 has a central outlet opening ts into which extends the basin fitting l? containing an outlet shell 48 with an upper peripheral: flange lli resting upon the; floor ill! of the basin. The shell 58 contains, in the: form illustrated, two. oppositely" disposed open"- ings 55,. these generally being intended to: accommodate therein holding extensions of a strainer disc. This disc is removed for best operative results with my invention.

Before attaching the device to a. basin, it. is preferred that the outer shell be removed, in the manner above described. Thereafter the: legs 26 are pressed inwardly and the entire member 2.?- pressed downwardly against the action of spring.

and the device placed within the outlet, substantially as shown in Figure 2, the. dot-dash lines indicating the. retracted and lowered position of the locking member 2?. When the flanges 3|: are disposed adjacent the openings: 51 of the outlet shell, the inward pressure upon the legs. then the downward pressure uponthe memher 2'? is released, whereupon the legs. 26 will spring outwardly into said openings, and the entire member 23' will be lifted upwardly by the action of spring. until the lips 31 engage the upper walls}??? of the openings 5!. When this occurs, the entire device is firmly held anchored in place. Since there can be no further upward movement of the member 27 the spring 35 now presses the entire inner member Ill downwardly upon the flange d9 of the outlet fitting to provide a firm fit. To efiect a tight- Waterproof seal, a gasket 53 is interposed between flanges l5 and d9.

To place the device in condition for operation, the outer shell l l is slid over theinner shell ill to the lowermost position, and then rotatively manipulated, in the manner aforesaid, to open or close the outlet apertures.

The device above described thus provides a convenient valve and strainer arrangement for basins, one that is presentable in appearance, that offers a minimum of obstruction to the user oi the basin, that is, easily manipulable, that is readily assembled and disassembled for cleaning or replacement purposes, and that. is relatively simple in construction.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example and in preferred manner; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein which. will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner of practicing same, except in so far as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a valve and strainer unit adapted for association with a basin outlet of the type having an outlet fitting extending into the outlet and having two openings in the lateral wall thereof, the combination consisting of two coacting shells one stationary and the other rotatable, the latter being in rotatable engagement with the former, the shells being disposed over and in vertical alignment with said fitting, said shells each containing outlet apertures arranged for registry when the rotatable shell is in a predetermined open position and obstructed when it is in a predetermined closed position, the inner of said shells containing an apertured upper wall, a resilient locking member comprising a cross-piece and at least two legs depending therefrom and extending downwardly through said upper wall and into said outlet fitting and yieldably urged outwardly, said legs having outwardly disposed lips extending into the said openings of the outlet fitting, and spring means between said upper wall and said cross-piece and under compression, said locking member being urged upwardly by the spring means whereby said lips are brought and maintained in yieldable locking engagement with the upper walls of said openings, and the inner of said shells being urged downwardly by the spring against the underlying floor of the basin.

2. In a valve and strainer unit adapted for association with a basin outlet of the type having an outlet fitting extending into the outlet and having two openings in the lateral wall thereof, the combination consisting of two coasting shells one stationary and the other rotatable, the latter being in rotatable engagement with the former, the shells being disposed over and in vertical alignment with said fitting, the stationary shell containing a bottom flange supported by the floor of the basin, the bottom edge of the rotatable shell resting upon said flange, said shells each containing outlet apertures arranged for registry when the rotatable shell is in a predetermined open position and obstructed when it is in a predetermined closed position, the inner of said shells containing an apertured upper wall, a resilient locking member comprising a crosspiece and at least two legs depending therefrom and extending downwardly through said upper wall and into said outlet fitting and yieldably urged outwardly, said legs having outwardly disposed lips extending into the said openings of the outlet fitting, and spring means between said upper wall and said cross-piece and under compression, said locking member being urged upwardly by the spring means whereby said lips are brought and maintained in yieldable locking engagement with the upper walls of said openings, and the inner of said shells being urged downwardly by the spring against the underlying floor of the basin.

3. In a valve and strainer unit adapted for association with a basin outlet of the typ having an outlet fitting with an upper peripheral flange resting upon the floor of the basin and a cylindrical wall extending into the outlet and having two openings in said wall, the combination consisting of two coacting shells one stationary and the other rotatable, the latter being in rotatable engagement with the former, the shells being disposed over and in vertical alignment with said fitting, the stationary shell containing a bottom flange supported by the said upper flange, the bottom edge of the rotatable shell resting upon said bottom flange, said shells each containing outlet apertures arranged for registry when the rotatable shell is in a predetermined open position and obstructed when it is in a predetermined closed position, the inner of said shells containing an apertured upper wall, a resilient locking member comprising a cross-piece and at least two legs depending therefrom and extending downwardly through said upper wall and into said outlet fitting and yieldably urged outwardly, said legs having outwardly disposed lips extending into the said openings of the outlet fitting, and spring means between said upper wall and said cross-piece and under compression, said locking member being urged upwardly by the spring means whereby said lips are brought and maintained in yieldable locking engagement with the upper walls of said openings, and the inner of said shells being urged downwardly by the spring against the upper peripheral flange of the outlet fitting.

4. In a valve and strainer unit adapted for association with a basin outlet of the type having an outlet fitting with an upper peripheral flange resting upon the floor of the basin and a cylinrical wall extending into the outlet and having two openings in said Wall, the combination consisting of a cylindrical inner shell, a cylindrical outer shell rotatively mounted thereover, the inner shell having a bottom flange overlying and supported by said upper flange of the fitting, a gasket between said flanges, the shells being in substantial axial alignment with the said outlet fitting, the bottom edge of the outer shell resting upon said bottom flange, said shells each containing outlet apertures arranged for registry when the outer shell is in a predetermined open position and obstructed when it is in a prede termined closed position, the inner shell containing an apertured upper wall, a resilient locking member comprising a cross-piece and at least two legs depending therefrom and extending downwardly through said upper wall and into said outlet fitting and yieldably urged outwardly, said legs having outwardly disposed lips extending into the said openings of the outlet fitting, and spring means between said upper wall and said cross-piece and under compression, said locking member being urged upwardly by the spring means whereby said lips are brought and maintained in yieldable locking engagement with the upper walls of said openings, and the inner shell being urged downwardly by the spring against the upper peripheral flange of the outlet fitting.

5. In a valve and strainer unit adapted for association with a basin outlet of the type having an outlet fitting extending into the outlet and having two openings in the lateral wall thereof, the combination consisting of a cylindrical inner shell, a cylindrical outer shell rotatively mounted thereover, the shells being disposed over and in vertical alignment with said fitting, said shells each containing outlet apertures arranged for registry when the outer shell is in a predetermined open position and obstructed when it is in a predetermined closed position, said shells containing upper walls in spaced relation thereby forming an upper shell compartment, the lower of said two walls having apertured portions therein, a resilient locking member comprising a cross-piece dis posed within said compartment and two legs de pending therefrom and extending downwardly through said apertured portions and into said outlet fitting and yieldably urged outwardly, said legs having outwardly disposed lips extending into the said openings of the outlet fitting, and

spring means disposed, within said compartment between the cross-piece and the lower or; said two walls and under compression, said locking member being urged, upwardly by the spring means whereby said lips are brought and maintained in yieldable locking engagement with the upper walls of said openings, and the inner shell being urged downwardly by the spring against the underlying floor of the basin.

6., In a valve and strainer unit adapted for association with a basin outlet of the type having an outlet fitting extending into the outlet and having two openings in the lateral wall thereof, the combination consisting of a cylindrical inner shell, acylindrical outer shell rotatively mounted thereover, the shells being disposed over and in vertical alignment with said fitting, said shells each containing outlet apertures arranged for registry when the outer shell is in a predetermined open position and obstructed when it is in a predetermined closed position, said shells containing upper walls in spaced relation thereby forming an upper shell compartment, the lower of said two walls having two oppositely disposed apertures and a central hole therein, a resilient locking member comprising a cross-piece .-.sposed within said compartment and two legs depending therefrom and extending downwardly through said apertures and into said outlet fitting and yieldably urged outwardly, said legs having outwardly disposed lips extending into the said openings of the outlet fitting, said crosspiece having a central hole in vertical registry with the lower central hole, a stud extending downwardly through both of said holes, a nut in threaded engagement with the lower portionof the stud and bearing against the underside of the lower of said walls, a helical spring mounted over the shank of said stud witl'iin compartment and in pressing engagement with the lower of said walls and the said cross-pice, said locking member being urged upward-1y by the spring whereby said lips are brought and main tained in yieldable locking engagement with the upper walls of said openings, and the inner shell being urged downwardly by the spring against the underlying floor of the basin.

'7. In a valve and strainer unit, the combination according to claim 6, the said central holes being each surrounded by a cylindrical wall pressed out respectively from the cross-piece and the lower of said walls into said compartment, opposite ends of the spring being disposed around said walls.

8. In a valve and strainer unit adapted for association with a basin outlet of the type having an outlet fitting extending into the outlet and having two openings in the lateral wall thereof, the combination consisting of a cylindrical inner shell, a cylindrical outer shell rotatively mounted thereover, the shells being disposed over and in vertical alignment with said fitting, the inner shell having a bottom flange supported by the floor of the basin, the bottom edge of the outer shell resting upon said flange, said flange containing markings thereon indicating predetermined open and closed positions, the lower portion of the outer shell having forced out therefrom a pointer adapted to coincide with one of said markings when the outer shell has been operatively manipulated to said positions, said shells each containing outlet apertures arranged for registry when the, outer shell is in said open position and obstructed when it is in said closed position, the inner shell containing an apertured a, upper wall, a resilient locking member comprising a cross-piece and two legs depending therefrom and extending downwardly through said.

upper wall and into said outlet fitting and yieldably urged outwardly, said legs having outwardly disposed lips extending into the said openings of the outlet fitting, and spring means between said upper wall and said cross-piece and under compression, said locking member being urged upwardly by the springmeans whereby said lips are bought and maintained in yieldable look-- ing engagement with the upper walls of said openings, and the inner shell being urged downwardly by the spring against the underlying floor of the basin.

9. In a valve and strainer unit adapted for association with a basin outlet of the type having an outlet fitting extending into the outlet and having two openings in the lateral wall thereof, the combination consisting of a cylindrical inner shell, a cylindrical outer shell rotatively mounted thereover, the shells being disposed over and in vertical alignment with said fitting, said shells each containing outlet apertures arranged for registry when the outer shell is in a predetermined open position and obstructed when it is in a predetermined closed position, the outer shell having a T groove pressed outwardly therefrom and extending upwardly from the lowermost edge of said shell, the inner shell having a protrusion extending into said groove and adapted to limit the rotary movement of the outer shell upon engagement with the extreme terminals: of the horizontal portion of the T, said extreme terminals representing said open and closed. positions of the outer casing, the inner shell containing an apertured upper wall, a resilient looking member comprising a cross-piece and two legs depending therefrom extending downwardly through said upper wall and into said outlet fitting and yieldably urged outwardly, said legs having outwardly disposed lips extending into the said openings of the outlet fitting, and spring means between said upper wall andsaid cross-piece and under compression, said looking member being urged upwardly by the spring means whereby said lips are brought and maintained in yieldable locking engagement with the upper walls of said openings, and the inner shell being urged downwardly by the spring against the underlying floor of the basin.

10. In a valve and strainer unit, the combination according to claim 6, the top of the outer casing being of reduced proportions and surrounding and completely enclosing the said compartment, whereby it could be conveniently grasped for manual manipulation, andthe crosspiece of the locking member being in close proximity to the upper wall of the outer casing.

MARDIG HOVANIAN.

REFERENCES. CITED,

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

